Emerald Ash Borer FAQ
CETC currently offers two different treatment options for Ash trunk injections:
- ArborMectin (Emamectin Benzoate). This treatment option is a pesticide. It is NOT organic but is 99.9% effective against EAB and all other bark beetles that effect Ash trees so the need to spray trees or worry about any other pests, aphids, etc. is eliminated.
- Tree-AZIN. This treatment option is organic. TreeAzin is a bio-insecticide and is 90-94% effective against EAB.
If you are in the cities of Boulder or Longmont the NON-organic treatment is recommended but the organic option is still available to you as well.
If you are outside the cities of Boulder or Longmont, but still in Boulder County, the organic option is okay to use for this 2017 season, however, since that still falls within the quarantine zone we recommend using the NON-organic option as pest pressure is starting to rise to higher levels than in previous years.
Pricing is the same for either product and is based on the size of the tree. If you are interested in getting a quote for an Ash trunk injection please contact us with the circumference of your Ash tree approximately 3-4 feet off the ground (chest height). If your tree splits into multiple trunks please take the measurement before the trunk splits.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Emerald Ash Borer Treatment Options:
Question: Are there studies showing Tree-AZIN’s effectiveness?
Answer: Yes, click here for a link to a study on Tree-AZIN and its effectiveness Tree-AZIN Study 2011 (1).
Question: When should I have a trunk injection (or any method of application) completed in order to prevent EAB?
Answer: May-August after the Ash trees have flowered so that products will pose less of a threat to the bees. Tree-AZIN trunk injections are not shown to devastate bees and are approved for use on organic crops. No other product on the market preventing EAB has been approved for Organic Crop use.
Question: I have gotten a flyer or email that says I need to act now in order to save my Ash trees. I am in the City of Boulder, Longmont, and/or Boulder County. Should I get on a list to treat my trees this fall and winter?
Answer: Not necessarily. No chemicals should be going into the ground, air, or trunk in the fall or winter. Anyone saying you should “act now” should be put on a “Do not ever call them for service again” list. They are just trying to make money off of you and are not concerned with proper timing of applications, effectiveness of the products they are using, or the side effects of their thoughtlessness. Companies soliciting you to act and administer treatments outside of effective season are either uneducated or unethical. However, if you are interested in having a company put your name on a list for Spring application that would be a pro-active step to take to ensure ideal timing of the trunk injection.
Question: How long will a trunk injection protect my tree?
Answer: Both ArborMectin and Tree-AZIN trunk injections are approved for 2 years of protection against Emerald Ash Borer.
Question: Where Can I get more information about the organic product, Tree-AZIN?
Answer: Tree-AZIN website
Question: Why can’t I find too much information on this product other than what is on their website?
Answer: This product was created in Canada. Canada has been using a variety of treatments for EAB since 2006. Since this time, Ontario and other Canadian municipalities have approved Tree-AZIN as the ONLY product for use on city Ash trees–No other pesticides allowed to prevent EAB. While Canada has benefited from this product, CETC feels it is time the US benefited as well. We are working with them to bring this product to the forefront of products we should be considering and then using. At this time, we need to help educate pesticide applicators about this product and the benefits it provides (that all the other pesticides available to us do not offer). Sometimes the best answer doesn’t originate in the US. CETC believes this is the case with Tree-AZIN. You can contact CETC or BioForest Technologies for more information on Tree-AZIN.
Question: My normal tree company/lawn company is offering soil injections of Merit. Will Merit (Imidacloprid) harm honey bees?
Answer: Ash trees are wind-pollinated and are not a major nectar source for bees. Ash flowers are produced early in the growing season and are present for only a limited number of days. Flowering plants that are pollinated by bees or other insects should not be planted immediately adjacent to Ash or other trees that will be treated with systemic insecticides applied to the soil, as they may also absorb insecticide. Honey bees and other insects can be affected when systemic insecticides are translocated to nectar and pollen. Imidacloprid is fatal to honey bees when it reaches high enough concentrations, and can have harmful sublethal effects at lower concentrations. There has been much concern recently about the potential role of imidacloprid and related neonicotinoid insecticides in colony collapse disorder(CCD). Research is ongoing to investigate the relative effects of pesticides, bee pathogens and parasites, and nutrition on honey bee health. To date there are no conclusive answers in the US. However, the UK AND France both do not allow imidacloprid use in their country. Germany is limiting its use. We hope the US follows suit on the ban of this product and all products containing neonicotinoids. While the literature can’t without a doubt prove it is affecting bees, we feel in our hearts that it is. If it wasn’t, the UK and France would still allow its use, Canada & Germany wouldn’t be investigating it and neither would the US. So something is not right with this product. Let’s stop using Merit and other neonicotinoids before we ruin our food supply and the insects that help create it.
Question: Will Merit harm other insects?
Answer: All of the systemic insecticides used to control EAB will impact other species of insects that feed on treated Ash trees. However, Ash trees that are not treated with some sort of insecticide will be killed by EAB, which will also impact these insects. Some products can affect many kinds of insects, while others affect only certain groups of insects. For example, emamectin benzoate has been shown to affect a broad range of plant-feeding insects. Products with imidacloprid generally have little effect on caterpillars, mites, and armored scales, but will impact most sawflies, leaf-feeding beetles, and sap-feeding insects such as aphids and soft scales. Studies have shown that beneficial insect predators and parasitoids — such as lady beetles, lacewings, and parasitic wasps — can be killed by indirect exposure to imidacloprid through their prey, or directly by feeding on nectar from treated plants. However, Tree-AZIN has proven to be least toxic to all other insects (including insects in the soil) due to its decreased foliar residual times. Results from the study attached at the top of this Q&A page support the use of azadirachtins as an environmentally acceptable systemic insecticide for control of EAB and protection of high-value ash trees in our urban environments. No other product can say that!
Here is a fact sheet on Merit (imidacloprid).
Here is a link to a study that looks at Azadirachtin versus Imidacloprid.
Here is a power point presentation on EAB trials with TreeAzin.
Here is a link to another Abstract write up on Azadirachtin/TreeAzin control.
Here is a link for the residents of Ontario back in 2008 when TreeAzin was first approved for use in a pesticide banned country.
Happy reading! Knowledge is power. Bees = food. Choose TreeAzin and save our planet one Ash tree at a time!
